Tuesday, December 23, 2008

It's been a loooong time...

So...uhm, the last time I was in "school", Reagen was in office, and I guess that's saying something. I dropped out of college to get married. As I put my life back together, the more I realize how much my husband did for me. I used to think women who couldn't do things like balance a checkbook, or pump their own gas were overly dependent. "Old", y'know?

I hadn't bought groceries in years. My husband thought I bought too much junk food, so he took over the grocery shopping, and I was relieved to get rid of it. I opened the refrigerator--there was food. Everything I liked to eat, all the time. Candy appeared on the microwave, smoked salmon in the crisper. Flowers showed up on the dining table, and the laundry got done miraculously. When I needed an oil change, it changed like clockwork, and bills got paid whether or not I had the money to pay them. We were not exceedingly well off, but we sure weren't broke.

Now I'm looking at what I've done with my life and thinking I spent a lot of time in a field where growing old is not cool--and time rolls on. I never planned to stay in the restaurant business, it was just a stop-gap thing while I thought of what I "really" wanted to do with my life. My counselor asked what I wanted to do when I was a kid, and I said--"write", my kids asked the same thing, and I gave them the same answer. I've always wanted to be a writer, I've been kicking words since I was seven. Not the worlds best writer, but still--persistent.

Now I'm thinking that I need an actual real-life skill-set that doesn't involve me being faster, smarter and stronger than the other guy. I'm slowing down, and I'm no longer in that place in my head where I feel good managing people, so that's out too. I'd like to be an accountant. A tax accountant. I've always been drawn to taxes. But--after I got over the horrible-incredible outrage of having to "pay" for my textbooks--seriously, pay? With the amount of money going in, they should foot the cost of textbooks. If high school students can use the same books over and over, I don't see why college students should be any different. But...then I cracked my books and said...yeah, maybe a mistake? I'm 100 percent dead on with things like sales and taxes, and percentages and everything you need to do everyday stuff, but business math? And I'm required to learn how to use Office 2007? Get real. I can't skip it? I've had Office since--I can't remember. I've always had Office. How to use Word? At least I'll get a good grade, since I'm paying through the nose for the opportunity to show them I can use the tab feature.

...okay, it's just cold feet. And stress. Hives, too. I don't want to forget the hives. I just fought my way through a forty-five minute horror show of compacted ice, gouged ice holes, snow and grocery trucks that never arrived to find out the shelves are bare from Fred Meyers to QFC. Seattle and King County has got to be the cheapest, most ill-prepared Northern city when it comes to de-icing roads. I am not looking forward to my trek up and down the hill to night school.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Taxes? Really? I love it. You go girl!!!!!
Have a wonderful holiday, Jodi!!!

Anonymous said...

1) I highly recommend accounting. It is such a wonderfully "portable" career, at least at the book keeper level, which is where I am. Don't they let you test out of classes where your life experiences have you covered? Don't begrudge the text books. I've been wishing I still had my math of finance book.

2) Do you know about the 2-year storage plan for food? I highly recommend it. Not because I expect some end-of-the-world disaster to make it necessary, but because it's cost effective, and so much easier to simply reach into "deep storage" when you run out of something than to brave the weather and hope they have it at the grocery store.

3) Did I remember to say Merry Christmas? If not, then count this one. :)

Unknown said...

Thank you, Jen. :) And a Merry Christmas to you too.

Alice, I've come to realize we're all accountants/bookkeepers--isn't Andi one, too? I'm just a wannabe, soon-to-be. Two year plan, huh? I heard of that. Maybe I need to invest some time looking into it.

And a Merry Christmas to you too!

deanna said...

Your current study sounds like something I would try, along with having similar reactions. I do our finances and taxes. I, too, ditched college for marriage. Couldn't lift and so on anymore at Krispy Kreme or 7-11 if I tried. For the moment I keep kicking words (love that phrase) to see what happens.

Merry, blessed Christmas to you, Jodi. This past year I've sure enjoyed discovering what you do with words. Happy numbering New Year!

Jeanna said...

Merry Berry, woman!

Unhinged said...

Merry Christmas, Jodi!

I sat here in awe while reading this post. At least you're grabbing that bull by the balls, woman. You're in MOTION. You're doing something. That counts big time.

(And what a good hubby he was. I love it when men are caretakers, too.)

I'm not an accountant or book keeper, by the way. I'm just an accounts payable clerk who never ever thought I'd be working with numbers for a living. I'm a word nerd! I suck with numbers. How did I get here?

Oh. Life, and that unexpected detour at
Albuquerque...

Kaige said...

Merry Christmas, Jodi!

It's raining again here. I keep saying if we lived somewhere decent we'd have snow, but then I've been saying that since about '95. I miss snow, but I don't miss it ALL winter.

Ya know, I went to college thinking I was going to be an accountant. I wanted to be a CPA just like an older friend. Then I had my first accounting class at 8 AM. Yeah... the busy work aspect of the class killed it for me. Doubled in Business Admin and Economics instead. Turned out I liked the bigger picture instead of fiddly make-work.

Good for you for going back to school though. And I hear ya on the textbook thing. It's ridiculous.

Liana Laverentz said...

Persistence is good. Merry Christmas, Jodi!